Never-Never Neverland: Center of the Universe
by KylieAyn
Summary: Ever so slowly, Neverland was losing its magic and lightness. There just weren't enough children in world believing anymore. So when a particularly bright imagination catches the attention of Neverland's magical inhabitants, Peter flies Mainland to get the dreamer to help his sanctuary (and go on an awfully big adventure). Rating might go up later; warnings inside. Peter/OC-Darling
1. Prologue

Hello all. It's been a very long time since I seriously wrote a fanfiction, and even longer since I wrote a Peter Pan one (which can no longer be found online, as it was discontinued and honestly kinda crappy). However I've had an idea for this story written down in a notebook from who-knows-how-long-ago, and decided to pursue it. Writing at all has been eluding me this past year, and so I thought this might be a good way to get back into the swing of things.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from the Never-verse. Peter Pan and all its subsequent titles belong to J.M. Barrie (mostly) and Disney (second mostly). Other parts of the Never-verse are borrowed from P.J. Hogan's Peter Pan, Geraldine McCaughrean's Peter Pan in Scarlet, Steven Spielberg's Hook, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's Starcatchers series, and Disney's Fairies of Pixie Hollow series. Pretty much I tried to include various elements from all over the Never-verse interpretations that still stayed pretty close to canon. Oh, and there's also a Pirates of the Caribbean reference in there.

**Note:** This fic ignores the very last paragraph in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, where it states that every generation of Darling females are called on by Peter. In regards to Jane, this story follows Disney's Return to Neverland. After Jane (Margaret, etc.), however, no other Darling girls have been visited.

Also, I ignore most of Peter Pan in Scarlet, the official Never-sequel. Pretty much I only borrowed some elements of Neverland, the fate of the Darlings and Old Boys, and other tidbits. For example, the Neverpeak will feature in this fic, but the Nowhereland and the novel's entire plot will not. Yeah, I'm kinda one of those assholes who just use what's convenient, I'm sorry.

**Warning:** This fic will have some dark themes in it. More detailed warnings will come as they near - I haven't planned the whole things out yet, but just know that this is will not have Disney-esque sugar-coatings.

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Prologue

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In all of Neverland's history, only two girls have been flown in from Earth's face. The first was story-sculptress and Londoner, Wendy Darling, along with her two younger brothers. The second was, some years later in a case of mistaken identity, Wendy's feisty daughter Jane. Wendy had gone willingly, excitedly, to the home of her newfound friend Peter Pan, while Jane had been abducted and annoyed by Peter's arch nemesis, Captain James Hook.

Other than that, only boys ever arrived in Neverland, led there either by Peter Pan or by pixies. The latter very rarely took children in themselves, the only one in recent history being Peter, though there is some debate on whether they had a hand in Hook and his crew's arrival, or the source of the Indians. Naturally, it's been so long (much longer than one would think, as barely anyone ever ages in Neverland) that none of the participants really remembers their own history. There was just Before-Neverland, and Neverland.

Only the pixies and the mermaids were true Neverland natives, all others had a Before-Neverland. The Indians once graced the North American plains, one with the land in nature and spirit. No one quite knows how they transferred from Earth to star, one day they were travelling through forestry and somewhere between their entrance and exit, Rocky Mountain woods became the Neverwood. Some of the elders murmur of twinkling bells and whispering winds during the journey, but others are adamant that everything was perfectly normal until it wasn't.

The pirates mostly know how they arrived – they'd been searching for a mysterious treasure island rumored to be at the ends of the world. One massive waterfall and a blinding green light later, and they were sailing into Cannibal Cove. They had believed that they'd found the treasure island, but instead were met with murderous mermaids, annoyed Indians, and pestering pixies. For many years the crew attempted to sail back to Earth, but couldn't find a way off the second-star-to-the-right. And some time later, they finally made the acquaintance of Peter Pan.

Peter, unlike most Lost Boys after him, completely recalls his Before-Neverland. As a newborn, he escaped his pram and ran away to Kensington Gardens, where he played with fairies. Upon his attempt to return home, his parents already had a new baby and a shut window, and thus assumed that he was no longer wanted. So he returned to the fairies, who helped him whisk himself away to the Neverland all children create in their imagination. However Peter's imagination was so powerful that, with the aide of special brand pixie dust known as "starstuff," his Never-Never Neverland came into fruition, earning a permanent spot in the Milky Way.

Since then, the only inhabitants of Neverland that have come and indefinitely gone are the many generations of Lost Boys. Fallen from prams or lost, children who aren't tended to after a week are guided by the endlessly young Pan to his Neverland. Once they start to grow up (their impermanence in the magical land ingrained in their soul, unbeknownst to them and to the dismay of their fearless leader), Peter "thins them out." Almost always, this means that they are sent back to Earth's face to grow up. Peter deliberately never finds out what happens to them.

In fact, the only ones Peter ever checked on after their return from Neverland were the Darling children and the Lost Boys who went with them. They were his favourite group of children ever – his best Boys to date, and the Girl who changed him forever. Plus those other two. But they all left him, determined to grow up and be part of a real family and then later start their own. And he did okay for a while, checking on them, listening to Wendy's stories (all about him, of course), and making sure that his makeshift family was okay and wouldn't forget him. But slowly they did start to forget, their growing minds replacing adventures and whimsy with boring adultish things, and so Peter stopped visiting. He purposely recruited a new bunch of boys so similar to the Old Boys (as he's so dubbed them – even if they forgot about him, he vowed to never forget _anyone_ ever again) that everyone just pretended that they were the same ones, even calling them by the same names. He had all the same adventures and conversations as he could with them, like nothing ever changed. He told them the story of the Wendy Bird so often and in such detail that the boys practically believed that they'd been the Boys that lived it.

So when Hook kidnapped young Jane and brought her to Neverland, no one said a word about the change in boys. Jane had always scoffed at her mother's stories, so it never occurred to her that the Lost Boys were not one and the same. The permanent residents of the island went along with it, and soon even Peter started to believe his pretend, just a little bit. Jane departed soon after, and Peter had an admittedly nice reunion with a fully-grown Wendy. Then everything completely went back to normal.

That is, until, a particularly strong imagination caught the attention of Pixie Hollow. Scouts were sent, and they watched. They watched the imaginer dream and bring those dreams to life. They watched the imaginer struggle with the pressure to grow up. They watched the imaginer until they couldn't watch any more…and started to take action.

Some sprinkles of starstuff and suddenly the imaginer couldn't stop imagining Neverland and Peter Pan. Dreams and stories were created – new adventures that the imaginer didn't know were all too real.

Neverlanders and the imaginer separately watched in awe as the mermaids successfully drowned three of Hook's crew at the Black Castle, the Lost Boys nearly get eaten by the crocodile at Skull Rock (both Slightly 2.0 and the croc lost an eye to the other, the former now donning an eye-patch and the latter now sporting a jagged scar and an even worse attitude), and the return of the Jolly Roger to Earth's face (only to turn back quickly thereafter, much discouraged, as they were a few hundred years too late for piracy as they knew it). The Lost Boys' ages were starting to add up, Hook is now seething at Pan for making him and his crew stuck in Neverland past their prime, and the pixie population was at an all-time low. Ever so slowly, Never Never Land was losing its magic and lightness. There just weren't enough children in world believing anymore. So the pixies kept nurturing the imaginer's dreams until their imagination was so bright that even Peter could see it.

So down to London Peter flew, Tinker Bell ever at his side, for the first time in forever. No searching was even necessary – the imagination in question shone in his mind's eye so clearly that it was like fireworks were going off at its location. Peter soared through the thick English air, careful to stay in the scarce shadows, cursing modern technology and its annoying ability to easily get him discovered. Tinker Bell's dainty, involuntary fairylight did not really help either, but Peter would never curse his best friend.

It was precisely the witching hour when Peter and Tink finally slipped through the imaginer's open window. In this day and age, keeping one's window open was not a very smart idea, but somehow great imaginations knew that open windows brought only good things, not bad. Tinker Bell, often more thoughtful and calculating than her companion, took the open window as a good omen and lit the way towards the nearby bed where the imaginer slept soundly. Peter perched on the bed frame and stared down at the sleeper, their imagination's brightness finally toning down enough so that he could see their face.

When he did, he was startled to find a pair of curious hazel eyes staring straight back at him. He propelled himself backward through the air, his back thumping where wall met ceiling. Tink, startled herself by Peter, twinkled madly at the imaginer despite knowing that they would only hear bells.

The imaginer barely spared any attention to the pixie, however, as their eyes were still locked with the flying boy.

"Peter Pan…"

Peter, acutely aware of the admiration and awe his name was said with, smirked and drifted back down to the bed frame, hands on hips and chin high. "Aye, it is me," he bent forward at the waist, moss green eyes drawing closer to the hazel, "and who are you?"

The shell-shocked but nonetheless delighted imaginer quickly untangled from the bed's blankets and stood as evenly as possible on the soft mattress, then bowed deeply, eyes never wavering from Peter's.

"I am Tamsin Darling, pleased to make your acquaintance."

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And there it is. Hope you enjoyed - drop a review either way, I'd love some constructive criticism!


	2. Chapter 1

Hello! I'm actually quite pleased with myself that I'm updating this only three days after its inception - I can't promise to always be so quick, but hopefully this fic will roll smoothly enough.

Big Thank You to **xoxozo** for the review - I'm so very glad that you enjoyed the first chapter, and hope that the rest of the story meets your expectations :)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but Tamsin. Peter Pan belongs to J.M. Barrie (1) and Disney (2), and its many sequels and spin-offs belong to their respective owners. (It would be rather exhausting to name them all again, so I'll be leaving it at that from here on out).

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Chapter One

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"I am Tamsin Darling, pleased to make your acquaintance."

A solid minute of silence passed, slightly unnerving the imaginer-girl. Peter had completely frozen, though his smirk had lost its meaning. Tinker Bell flittered nervously around her friend, internal curses going out to the Darling family (not for the first time). How many times would this family worm their way into their lives?

"Like Wendy?" Peter finally replied, smirk deflating and posture erecting. He disliked the serious way his world just turned, but he had to know.

Tamsin blinked at him, a story swimming up from her memory. Aunt Margaret had told her tales from the childhoods of great-aunt Jane and great-great-aunt Wendy and her brothers, great-great-uncle John and great-grandfather Michael. Fantasical adventures with the Boy Who Never Grew Up. Those stories were true? Her own family had truly gone to the stellar land she'd been dreaming about for so long?

"Yes, like Wendy…and John and Michael…and Jane…" Tamsin affirmed, though listed off her other adventuring kin just to be sure. Peter perked up when she'd finished, so she guessed she'd gotten her answer. _This is amazing_, she thought, trying not to burst into a goofy grin.

"Are you like them?" Peter wondered aloud. Tink immediately became irked at the thought of another anyone like the previous Darling children.

"I don't know; I've never met them. They all died before I was born."

Apparently this was the wrong thing to say, as Peter seemed automatically distressed at the thought of his old friends _dead_. He willed himself not to cry (deciding, like once long ago, that he'd never cried in his life), and instead grumbled, "You're probably not as good, then."

"Um, excuse you!" Tamsin retorted, taking a defensive pose. "I am good _enough_." Immediately after saying this she realized that that was probably a weak and not exactly high-esteem response, but kept face out of spite. Peter didn't seem to find her argument invalid, however, looking almost approving.

"Hm, okay then," he shrugged nonchalantly, rising into the air and floating towards the window. He paused when there was no movement from the bed. "Well? You coming or what?"

Tamsin started, hand flying to her heart in a fruitless attempt to calm the racing organ. The corners of her mouth rose slightly, almost not daring to smile – this had to be too good to be true, right? Tamsin stepped down from her bed, stepping hesitantly towards Peter.

"You...you're inviting me to Neverland?" Tamsin asked, nearly breathless with joy.

"Uh, _duh_. I didn't come all the way here to watch you sleep."

Finally Tamsin let her face blow into a full-fledged beam. "I really get to go to Neverland? With mermaids and Indians and pirates and Lost Boys and fairies and the whole shebang?" Tamsin now found herself talking incredibly fast, a habit of her when she became overwhelmed (here, with excitement).

Peter grinned smugly, stretching like it was all no big deal, "Yeah, my world is the best…" He seemed to not be able to keep up the nonchalant act, becoming animated as he described his home, "There's this big, mean crocodile that can swallow you whole – it _did_ swallow Captain Hook whole once, but Mr. Smee, his silly first mate, got him to upchuck him by tickling its belly. And the mermaids are totally going crazy, trying to drown everything in sight; I think it's their mating season or something. But yeah, and the Lost Boys and I go on adventures every day. We constantly beat the pirates, even though they've gotten eviler, but they're just so stupid, you know? Haha, like this one time—"

"Peter!" Tamsin cut him off, trying to smother her giggles under her hand, "I get it, Neverland is amazing and I will never be bored again."

Peter struck his signature grandiose pose again, nodding gallantly.

"Okay, well, if I'm leaving then I'm gonna have to change," Tamsin concluded, swiveling to approach her wardrobe. She ruffled through her clothing, selecting then rejecting several articles before deciding what would be most suitable for adventuring.

Peter turned to Tinker Bell, totally lost, who just waved him off. Why would she need to change? No one else had a problem with going in their pajamas, he wondered. Of course, he conceded, he's never seen such little pajamas on anyone before. The girl before him currently only wore a slouchy tank and very small, striped shorts. Tink pulled Peter's hair, noticing her friend staring at the rear of the imaginer-girl. Even though he didn't think much of such a thing, the pixie would not allow it to slide.

Tamsin was completely ignorant of the two flyers thoughts and actions, stepping behind the open wardrobe door to change in privacy. She traded her sleep-shorts for her comfiest pair of skinny jeans, and pulled a light, plum sweater over her tank, completing her outfit with a pair of worn, black lace-up boots. Emerging from behind the door, she continued to ignore her "guests" and slumped her heavy schoolbag on her bed, depleting it of its contents. She scurried to her private bathroom and came back to refill the pack with simple toiletries: deodorant, soap, shampoo and conditioner, toothbrush and toothpaste. She also slid in her hairbrush, extra items of clothes, a water bottle and package of gummy worms (both of which were always ready at her bedside table), and her iPod. She lifted the backpack to check the weight, smiling when it was still somewhat light. Shrugging the pack on, she finally turned to Peter and Tink.

They were both staring at her so impatiently that Tamsin wondered if she'd accidentally been packing for a century. She grimaced, deciding that their wait was worth it – she was not going to a foreign realm unprepared!

"Are you ready _now_?" Peter growled, sighing when she nodded in affirmation. "Okay then, let's go already." He started to soar out the window.

"Peter! Forgetting something?" Tamsin called back to him. Groaning, Peter backtracked, glaring at her expectantly. "I don't know how to fly, Mr. Incredible."

He couldn't help his spirits being lifted at the nickname, decidedly ignorant of Tamsin's sarcasm. Also, he wasn't displeased by her statement – a teaching person to fly was always his favorite part of bringing them to Neverland. Their reactions were just too amusing.

"Okay," Peter grinned, "think of a happy thought."

"Any happy little thought?" Tamsin asked, tentative. A twinge of nostalgia and sadness pinched at Peter as Tamsin unknowingly quoted Wendy.

"Yup, any happy thought." Peter glanced at Tink, who was trying to sneak off. He nabbed her before she could escape, shaking the fairy above Tamsin's head and sprinkling her pixie dust. The girl nearly got the glowing sparkles in her eyes as she stared in wonder up at an indignant Tinker Bell. The magic fairy embers were enough to fill Tamsin's mind with happiness, and she sailed up from the floor.

The imaginer-girl had never been more jovial in her whole life. She couldn't stop laughing as she flew around her room. Was anything else more freeing, more exhilarating? With a half-sigh, half-guffaw and zero concern for her new companions, she whizzed out the window and into the open London air.

"This is amazing!" She squealed, zooming around buildings and through clouds, fingers brushing treetops and rooftops alike. All thoughts of natural physics and how she was defying them evaporated from her brain as she rose higher and higher into the sky. One could've sworn that it was her mission to touch the moon she was flying so high.

"Second star to the right, right?" Tamsin whispered, grinning to herself, adjusting her aim for the particularly shiny light a skip away from the moon. More laughter bubbled from her lips as the air around her began to change, newer and more beautiful colours surrounding her as a spiral of planets, novae, and magic took the place of English airspace.

Back on Earth but catching up fast, a pissed Peter Pan and irate Tinker Bell soared after Tamsin. _**I**__ am supposed to lead_, Peter grumbled to himself. Tink's thoughts were more murderous, a heavy worry seeping into her mind: Was this girl going to be more trouble than she was worth?

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Hope you enjoyed and please drop a review; I'd love to hear any feedback on this story.


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